


a little chaos

by girlsarewolves



Series: treats [17]
Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020), DC Extended Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character(s) of Color, F/F, Femslash, Getting Together, Handcuffed Together, IN SPACE!, Imprisonment, Kissing, Space Fae, Space Pirates, so the in space is more 'in a jail! in space!', stuck in a cell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:13:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25363672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsarewolves/pseuds/girlsarewolves
Summary: Dinah Lance liked calculated risks. Harley Quinn was not a calculated risk. The fact that they were stuck in a cell together waiting to get offed because Harley had pissed off the wrong people? Perfect example.
Relationships: Dinah Lance/Harleen Quinzel
Series: treats [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1434862
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17
Collections: Battleship 2020, Battleship 2020 - Red Team





	a little chaos

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thatsparrow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsparrow/gifts).



* * *

How in the fucking cosmos did she wind up in this position again?

Oh, right. The trickster.

The one refusing to zap out of the cuffs binding them together. Sure, she said the restraints were made of a material that rendered her magic useless, but she lied more than she told the truth - and she only told the truth when she could make it seem like she was lying.

Dinah was pretty damn sure Harley could teleport them out of this cell and herself out of the cuffs, but just didn’t want to because she liked being a pain in Dinah’s ass. 

And also had taken a shining to Dinah, which had only made the pirate queen’s life a living hell, because having a trickster fond of you was literally nothing but disaster after catastrophe. True, there was always the chance that their chaotic energy would bring untold riches, and many space mercs and pirates courted after them for favor, but Dinah did not like the slim chances when she could rely on herself and her crew.

Trickster fae were born from the cosmos and were unpredictable. Even to themselves. 

After all, Dinah was pretty sure that even though she’d saved Harley in a fit of madness called compassion, which then led to Harley often finding her and following her around and tagging along where she wasn’t wanted, winding up in jail awaiting execution was not something Harley actually wanted.

But there they were, awaiting their judgment. Not that Dinah believed Harley would let herself be killed.

Though there was that chance, that nagging dread, that Harley was telling the truth and she couldn’t break free from the restraints.

Their jailers had seemed rather confident they could keep the two of them caged until it was time.

...fuck.

“We make it out of this, you’re leaving me alone, got it?” Dinah snapped. The angry words echoed off the metal walls holding them in. She refused to feel bad when Harley flinched and looked over with sad, betrayed eyes. No, she wasn’t going to be guilted into changing her mind. “Just cause I saved your skin back on Gotham doesn’t mean I want you around. I take enough risks without your chaos throwing everything off all the time.”

“...yeah.” 

Dinah waited. And waited. “That’s it? ‘Yeah’? No bad puns or witty jokes?”

Beside her, Harley shrugged. “Nah. Heart’s not in it.” She went quiet again, head leaning back on the wall they were sitting against. Her eyes were closed, and there was the tiniest tremor that indicated she might be trying not to cry.

Shit.

No, Dinah was not going to feel bad. Harley had gotten them into this mess in the first place! She had gone and pissed off Dinah’s old creep of a boss, dragged Dinah into her mess, and gotten them caught and bound together awaiting their bloody, messy deaths that were going to be put on like a fucking theater act. No way in the cosmos was Dinah about to feel bad.

“Look. You’re a mess. You’re broken-hearted, and looking for affection anywhere and everywhere, and it’s making your chaos self-destructive, and I have a crew to take care of and mouths to feed. You need to find yourself, Harley, and get yourself together.”

“I like myself when I’m with you,” she whispered. It was the most vulnerable she’d sounded since Dinah had known her.

It was probably an act to gain sympathy or affection.

It was really damn convincing.

Fuck.

“Harley...listen. You’re crazy and sometimes funny and always surprising. And when you show a girl a good time, it’s a real good time. But I’ve got my crew, and that’s all I need. I’m not looking for friends or lovers. My life’s not good for that.” Even if she sometimes wondered what it’d be like if she let down more of her walls, let someone in closer. Even if her crew was her family, and she wanted to let them in fully but just couldn’t because she knew too well how deeply it hurt when you lose those you let in your heart. Even if some of the wild ride she’d been on with Harley had been genuinely fun, and maybe part of her wanted to let Harley in because Harley was broken and lost in a way that felt all too familiar to Dinah.

“I’ve never been one to go for what’s safe,” Harley replied. “And you’re a pirate, so something tells me you like a little danger, too.”

Dinah let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah. A little. I take risks, sure, but calculated risks. And you are  _ not _ a calculated risk.” And maybe there was an allure there that Dinah had been drawn to at first, before things had spiraled out of control. And maybe there was a spark between them that made Dinah even more determined to get Harley far away from her. But that didn’t matter, because Dinah didn’t like unpredictability. Dinah liked a little bit of danger, liked to take risks she knew she and her crew could handle, liked the rush of that leap of faith but even more loved the thrill of pulling off the job just like she knew they could.

Harley jettisoned all of that out the ship. She was loud and bright and unpredictable. She changed her mind at the drop of a hat, and had too much loyalty for her vulnerable heart. Even if she wasn’t a trickster, she would still be chaotic and wild and manic in a way that threw Dinah’s whole world off.

They would only burn brightly until they went out in a flash, leaving charred and ashy remains in their wake.

And maybe that was what Harley wanted, but Dinah...Dinah liked her balance of excitement and stability.

So why, when Harley just growled in annoyance and grabbed her by the face and kissed her, did Dinah not pull away? Why did she growl back and kiss back and pull Harley closer?

Maybe Dinah’s life wasn’t so balanced. Maybe there was too much stability, not enough excitement. 

Maybe she was tired of holding up those walls.

Or maybe it was because she heard the guards coming, and wanted them to think she wasn’t a danger when they walked in. Maybe she wanted them distracted by the show so that when they entered and pulled Harley away from her to lead them to their execution, she and Harley could take them down easier and get out of those stupid restraints. Maybe it meant nothing at all.

That didn’t explain why, when the Birds of Prey crew found them and got them back onboard the ship, Dinah pulled Harley to her and kissed her again.

Maybe a little chaos wasn’t such a bad thing.

* * *


End file.
